The present invention relates generally to the field of sports helmets, and in particular to a new and useful buckle assembly for the chin strap of a sports helmet, such as, but not limited to, a football, lacrosse or hockey helmet.
Buckles for the chin strap of sports helmets are usually made of metal for strength. Metal buckles, however, have the drawback of having hard, potentially sharp edges that can catch on clothing or the skin of the user or of a competitor or team mate. A metal buckle can also scratch the surface of a helmet or other sports equipment, especially in fast moving contact sports like football, lacrosse and hockey.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,481,066; 6,497,012; and 6,532,632 disclose a buckle for receiving a strap and for snap-fitting to a snap member or stud located on a helmet, the buckle including a metal member with plastic material substantially encasing the metal member except at certain areas. These patents teach complex and costly co-molding of the metal parts of the buckle with a molten plastic to partially encase the metal component. Co-molding equipment is therefore required and more of the buckle is covered than is necessary for safety.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,475,453 discloses a buckle including a metal component with a rust resistant plastic component substantially encasing the metal component. Encasing the metal parts inside the plastic components is again complex and costly.
Accordingly a need remains for a buckle assembly that shields metal parts of the bucket to reduce or eliminate the danger and potential damage exposed metal buckle parts may cause when used with the helmet of a contact sport.